Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern
Back before Tacoma smelled, the Northern Pacific chose it to be terminus of its trans-continental railway. Of course, the joke was on Tacoma, as the Northern Pacific decided to first build the terminus on land that they owned, not the actual Tacoma of that time and second, when they realized the error of their ways and moved north to Seattle. After being shunned for Tacoma, Seattle was faced with a serious problem, Tacoma would have a trans-continental railroad and they would not. So what to do, accept fate as a second rate town and let Tacoma become the crown jewel of the Northwest, or build your own railroad and hook up with a trans-continental further east. Lucky for all of us, they chose the later. Thus the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway was born, it was to connect Seattle to Spokane and maybe even North Dakota. How exactly it was to get from Seattle to Spokane a bit of a mystery, as maps show the planned line going north from Seattle to Everett and then east over Stevens Pass through Tumwater Canyon. Then crossing the Columbia at Wenatchee and heading east to Waterville via Pine Canyon and from Waterville on to Davenport and later Spokane. In the east, the line was started in Spokane and made it as far west as Davenport. In the west it started from downtown Seattle and went north to Ballard and the east to Lake Washington and then north again to Kenmore. Then it headed east to Woodenville and from there south along Lake Sammamish to Issaquah. From Issaquah east to the Sallah Prairie where the line ended somewhere around the site of Ken's Truck stop. Maybe realizing the unlikelihood of completing the route over the Cascades, the route was built north from Bothell to Sumas and the Canadian Pacific. Around 1892, the line was purchased by the Northern Pacific, mostly because they didn't want to regret not buying it. Even though it never actually was completed, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern did leave its mark, the stations in Snoqualmie and Issaquah were built by the line. The line was a vital link to open the eastern portion of King County to development and more recently, once the rails were pulled, made from some great biking and jogging trails.
Back before Tacoma smelled, the Northern Pacific chose it to be terminus of its trans-continental railway. Of course, the joke was on Tacoma, as the Northern Pacific decided to first build the terminus on land that they owned, not the actual Tacoma of that time and second, when they realized the error of their ways and moved north to Seattle. After being shunned for Tacoma, Seattle was faced with a serious problem, Tacoma would have a trans-continental railroad and they would not. So what to do, accept fate as a second rate town and let Tacoma become the crown jewel of the Northwest, or build your own railroad and hook up with a trans-continental further east. Lucky for all of us, they chose the later. Thus the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway was born, it was to connect Seattle to Spokane and maybe even North Dakota. How exactly it was to get from Seattle to Spokane a bit of a mystery, as maps show the planned line going north from Seattle to Everett and then east over Stevens Pass through Tumwater Canyon. Then crossing the Columbia at Wenatchee and heading east to Waterville via Pine Canyon and from Waterville on to Davenport and later Spokane. In the east, the line was started in Spokane and made it as far west as Davenport. In the west it started from downtown Seattle and went north to Ballard and the east to Lake Washington and then north again to Kenmore. Then it headed east to Woodenville and from there south along Lake Sammamish to Issaquah. From Issaquah east to the Sallah Prairie where the line ended somewhere around the site of Ken's Truck stop. Maybe realizing the unlikelihood of completing the route over the Cascades, the route was built north from Bothell to Sumas and the Canadian Pacific. Around 1892, the line was purchased by the Northern Pacific, mostly because they didn't want to regret not buying it. Even though it never actually was completed, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern did leave its mark, the stations in Snoqualmie and Issaquah were built by the line. The line was a vital link to open the eastern portion of King County to development and more recently, once the rails were pulled, made from some great biking and jogging trails.
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